The abolitionist movement was met with much backlash. So much so, that it was a major cause of the civil war. Slave owners refused to aknowledge African American citizens as equals. They believed they were inferior in every way. To them, African American’s were dumber and less advanced. The false idea that they were more closely related to apes due to their skin color was used in many arguments. Another major ideal used to support slavery was the impact it had on the economy. The creation of cheaper products due to unpaid laborers greatly contributed to the economy in those times. Most of these assertions were only filled by racism and insecurity from the slave owners part, while some like the impact in the economy were morally and ethically incorrect.
The 1862 Homestead Act accelerated settlement of U.S. western territory by allowing any American, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land.
